title: Microparticles in newborn cord blood: slight elevation after normal delivery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Microparticles formed during delivery may add to the well functioning hemostasis, but also to hypercoaguability in the newborn. We wanted to investigate whether microparticles in newborn cord plasma differ from those in adult plasma in terms of concentration, procoagulant activity, and effect on thrombin generation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three different techniques were used to analyze microparticles. To enumerate and characterize microparticles, flow cytometry and ELISA, based on the prothrombinase reaction, were used. The effect of microparticles derived tissue factor on thrombin generation was measured indirectly by calibrated automated thrombography in newborn cord and adult platelet free plasma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The flow cytometric measurements of microparticles showed no significantly increased microparticle concentration in newborn cord compared with adult plasma. By the use of ELISA a significantly increased procoagulant activity of microparticles was found in newborn cord plasma as compared to adult plasma. Initiation of thrombin generation by adding phospholipids alone suggested a higher microparticle activity in newborn cord plasma than in adult plasma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show a higher impact of microparticles on the hemostatic system in newborn cord plasma than in adult plasma in terms of activity, but not concentration. calibrated automated thrombography and ELISA suggest an increased microparticle activity in newborn cord plasma, but comparable results in microparticle number as determined by flow cytometry argue against strong platelet activation during birth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schweintzger
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schlagenhauf
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leschnik
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rinner
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bernhard
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Novak
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Muntean
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D055252:Cell-Derived Microparticles; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000097:blood*; D010949:Plasma / Q000166:cytology*; D011247:Pregnancy